nfl

A story that surfaced in the past two college football seasons involved University of Missouri quarterback James Franklin's recovery from shoulder injuries.

The nimble runner and accurate passer missed games in both the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Several media reports that delved into the injury also noted a newsworthy and unique angle -- Franklin had chosen not to take numbing pain killers to enable him to return to the playing field sooner than he would have while waiting for his injuries to heal naturally.

The 2013-14 NFL season came to a close with the Seattle Seahawks beating the Denver Broncos 43-8 in the Super Bowl Feb. 2, and with it ended a year of questionable sportsmanship.

A fine line exists between being passionate, aggressive and competitive versus showing integrity for the game and respect for your opponent. That line has been crossed during games and in comments by players.